Quote: Q: So, in what way would you make the world a better
place? A: "I'd give people valium. You know, you drive on the streets
and people are so frenetic. The other day I was driving and cut in front of
this lady, accidentally, and she grabbed something from her car and threw
it at me."

Laura Harring Biography

Laura Harring is a young and dynamic artist whose natural talent prompted
New York Magazine to laud her debut as having a "stunning fresh appeal." She
has an evocative inner beauty that can be strangely disarming. Witty, candid
and keenly astute in business, she is an undeniably rare commodity in Hollywood.
Combined with her stunning features that won her the coveted Miss USA title,
Laura has come a long way to break a logjam of stereotypes encountered over
the years. Laura can currently be seen in NBC's Sunset Beach, the new one-hour
daytime drama from Aaron Spelling. Sunset Beach is Spelling's first foray
into the daytime arena. Laura plays "Paula Stevens," a Sunset Beach police
officer that is smart and feisty and lives to uncover the truth in work and
life.

One will quickly recognize why Time Magazine once named her to its list of
top U.S. immigrants, and why she was featured in an exhibition as one of the
"100 Most Interesting Faces in the World." Her role on "Sunset Beach" is Laura's
second venture in to the world of daytime. Many people remember Laura from
her regular stint as "Carla Greco" on ABC daytime's "General Hospital." Laura
made her major motion picture debut in the feature film directed by Garry
Marshall, "Exit to Eden." She has also appeared in many television roles including,
the role of "Garcia" in the syndicated series "Flipper," the telefilm "Desperado
II," and "Rio Diablo." Other acting credits include "Baywatch," "Alien Nations,"
"Silk Stalkings" and the feature film "The Forbidden Dance...Lambada."

Born Laura Elena Martinez Herring of German and Austrian ancestry in Los
Mochis, a small city in northern Mexico, she moved to the United States with
her mother and two sisters at age 11. While in Texas, multi-lingual Laura
spent her high school years at Aiglon College in Switzerland. While studying
abroad, she was chosen to participate in a summer project that took her to
India as a social worker, spending a month digging ditches and planting vegetable
gardens. The following year she spent backpacking around the world. Returning
to the United States, Laura entered the Miss El Paso competition. Laura won,
went on to become Miss Texas, and subsequently garnered the distinction of
being the first Hispanic ever to walk away with the title of "Miss USA."

The following year her good looks and dynamic personality brought her the
attention of Hollywood where she was cast in the telefilm "The Alamo: Thirteen
Days to Glory" as the young wife of the President of Mexico played by Raul
Julia. However, because another actress carried Laura's name, she made a slight
alteration in the spelling of her surname and has used Harring as her professional
name. Laura was riding the whirlwind of popularity when she met Count Carl
von Bismarck, whom she later married. The newly titled Countess Laura Harring
von Bismarck continued with her burgeoning acting career, but later an amicable
separation ensued and Laura focused all her energies toward developing into
the formidable talent that she is. From features to television to hosting,
Laura Harring is proving to be potent and versatile talent.

Laura is now divorced, making her an ex-countess. But, her movie career has
just begun to flourish. Her recent movie, "Mulholland Dr.," written
and directed by David Lynch, is now in theaters. Coming up, she can be seen
in "New Shoes" and "John Q."